| | He sayde frendis I am hoor and old | |
| | And almost god woot at my pittis brynke | |
| | Vp on my soule somwhat moste y thinke | |
| | I haue my body folily dispendid | |
| 160 | I blissid be god it shal be amendid | |
| | For I wol be certeyn a weddid man | |
| | And that in al the haste that I can | |
| | Vnto som mayde fair and tender of age | |
| | I pray you shapith for my mariage | |
| 165 | Al sodenly for I wol not abyde | |
| | And I wol fonde to aspye on my side | |
| | To whom y may be weddid hastely | |
| | But for as muche as ye be mo than I | |
| | Ye shul rather suche a thing espyen | |
| 170 | Than I and where me list best alien | |
| | But o thing I warne you my frendis dere | |
| | I wyl noon old wyf haue in no manere | |
| | She shal not passe . xvj . yeer certayn | |
| | Old flessh wolde haue yong flessh fayn | |
| 175 | Bet is a pyke than a pykerel | |
| | Better than olde beef is the tender veel | |
| | I wol no woman of twenty yeer of age | |
| | It is but bene straw and greet forage | |
| | And eke thyse olde wydowes god it woot | |
| 180 | They conne so mykyl craft of wadis boot | |
| | So mykyl harm what that hem list | |
| | That with hem sholde I neuer lyue in rest | |
| | For sondry scolis makith subtil clerkis | |
| | Woman of many a scole half a clerk is | |
